Whiskey stones. I only heard about these a few months ago when a good friend of mine, a fellow whiskey drinker, bought me some as a gift. The concept is to use them in place of ice to chill your whiskey. As I mentioned in the "How Do You Want It?" review, ice can dilute your whiskey as well as mask some of the flavors of the whiskey. Whiskey stones aim to provide you with a chilled glass of whiskey without diluting it in the process.
Made of soapstone, these are non-porous; you do not have to worry about them absorbing flavor and affecting the taste of your next glass of whiskey, or getting moldy, etc. Still, I find it prudent to give them a good rinse after I have used them and occasionally a soap-down to remove any microbes for the sake of health. As an added bonus, soapstone is soft enough to where you do not have to worry about it scratching your glassware.
It was only when my stones arrived in the mail that I learned that these existed so I did what any 21st century consumer does - I checked the internet. The feedback I saw for these stones was mixed. People either loved them or hated them - pretty much equal factions with almost no one in the middle. The most common complaint was that they either didn't get cold enough or that they lost their chill far too quickly. I spent some time experimenting with them and I wanted to pass on to you the tricks I had learned to maximize the use of your stones.
Before placing your stones in the freezer I recommend running them under water to get them wet. This helps to accelerate and maximize the temperature drop in the stones while adding only a negligible amount of water to the stone. Then, so that they A) Do not freeze together, B) Do not freeze to your freezer itself and C) Do not pick up any contaminants from your freezer, place them individually in the slots of an empty ice tray. By following this method I have been able to make whiskey stones a very useful addition to my home bar.
Per glass I recommend around 3 stones. The pack I received came with 9, providing me with enough stones for 3 glasses up front and time to chill them after use in case I wanted a fourth (or more). They did indeed chill my whiskey but not to the point that ice would and I think that is where some of the negative reviews sprouted from; people expected these to completely replace ice in all aspects. Still, the temperature dropped enough for me to deem them effective, actually making my whiskey quite chilled. I also enjoy the feel of the stones; it feels like I have a whiskey on the rocks even though I enjoy my whiskey neat. I was also able to add that sound of rattling stones in my glass to my tasting, a sound I enjoy. It added to the overall experience.
I would recommend these. These are a great addition to your home bar as well as a conversation piece. I always recommend whiskey neat (or with a splash of water if the whiskey is above 50 proof), but these are a great way to cool your whiskey and ease the burn without diluting the whiskey at the same time. They are available online, or at select stores.
Cheers,
Charles
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